PDP chief meets another family of militant, urges Guv to direct police not to harass them  

Visits aimed to rehabilitate badly damaged reputation: Omar; Sajad lashes out at PDP, NC

Srinagar: Reviving the strategy of meeting families of militants yet again, the former chief minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday met the family of another militant in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

However, the former chief minister and NC vice president criticized Mehbooba’s visit to the families of militants, calling it as ‘using dead militants to appease voters’.

Today, the PDP president met the family of a slain militant in Safanagri village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district. It is her second visit to the families of militants.

The PDP chief had earlier visited Patipora village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district where she met the family of a militant on December 30. Mehbooba after meeting the family of a slain militant urged Governor Malik to direct the police and other forces not to harass the militant’s family.

Stating that police is disciplined force and don’t want to harass the families of militants, Mehbooba said there seems directions from somewhere due to which such actions are taking place.

“When I was Chief Minister, I also directed the police and other forces in Manigam not to harass the families of militants when you are dealing with the militants,” she said, impressing upon the Governor Satya Pal Malik to direct police and other forces engaged in anti-militancy operations not to harass families of militants.

Mehbooba in a tweet added that in case the initiative of ceasefire taken by her could have sustained, many more precious lives would have been saved. She said that no mother wants her son to pick up a gun, saying that harassing the families of militants is not going to help the situation.

“No mother wants her son to pick up a gun and lose his life in the prime of his youth. Therefore harassing the family is not going to help the situation. Had my initiative of cease fire sustained many more precious lives would have been saved,” she tweeted.

In her another tweet, Mehbooba said that no force or military can help to win the war with the people. “No force or military can help us win this war with our people. Only affection of mothers and family will help reclaim our own generation in rage,” Mehbooba tweeted.

Reacting over her frequent visits to the families of militants, former chief minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President, Omar Abdullah in his tweets said that Mehbooba Mufti is using dead militants to try to appease the voters.

In his tweet, Omar termed Mehbooba as architect of “Operation All-out”, saying that by visiting the families of militants, she is trying to rehabilitate a badly damaged reputation.

“The architect of “Operation All-out” & the overseer of the operations that killed hundreds of militants since 2015 is now going from one militant home to the next trying to rehabilitate a badly damaged reputation,” Omar tweeted. Omar further added that Mehbooba appeased BJP by the deaths of militants and now she is using dead militants to appease the voters.

“She used militants by sanctioning their deaths to appease the BJP and now she uses dead militants to try to appease the voter. Just how gullible does she think people are?,” Omar tweeted. Reacting to Omar’s tweet, Mehbooba said that “we all should try to reach to the families of militants as they cannot be left at the mercy of others.”

“@OmarAbdullah My visiting these helpless families shouldn’t trouble you , rather we all should try to reach out to them as they can not be left at the mercy of others,” Mehbooba replied to Omar’s tweet. However, Peoples Conference (PC) president and former minister, Sajad Gani Lone also hot out at both the parties, citing the killings of civilians in 2010 and 2016 agitations.

“The two dynasties r at it again. Enacting theatre. A month or so back both were squeaky clean. Now the gloves r off. Accuse each other by the day confer by the night. Winking on twitter hoodwinking en masse. One has 2010 to his credit the other has 2016 to her credit,” Lone tweeted.(KNO)